Street-car puzzle.



- PATENI'ED JUNE 2, 1903. M. H. ANDERSON.

STREET CAR PUZZLE. APPLIOATION FILED JULYy 19. 1902.

NO MODEL.

' Patented June 2, 1903.

PATENT Dumon.

MARTIN H; ANDERSON, OFYMILVVAU'KEE,"VVISCONSIN.

STREET-CAR PUZZLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 729,522, dated. J' une 2, 1903.

Application filed July 19, 1902.y Serial No. 116,189. (No model.)

a vertical transverse section view drawnonV line :n of Fig-l, and Fig. Sis a longitudinal vertical section drawn on line yy of Fig. i1'. Like parts are identified by thesame reference characters throughout the several views. The puzzle comprises a miniature system of street-railway cars, tracks, switches, and' stations in which a series of grooves or channels A, formed in the upper surface of a board, representthe tracks, and the blocks B represent the cars. The grooves A mav be either cut in the surface of the board @whenformed of wood or they may be pressed into the surface of the board when made of sheet metal, cardboard, orother similar material, the boards C being about the size of an ordinary checker-board.

The blocksBare preferably formed of wood or may be made of other similar light mate-A rial, rectangular in cross-section, and their lengths are preferably about twice that of their diameter. One side of the blocks B is provided with downwardly-projecting guidebearings D, which are preferably formed of ordinary metallic staples, which are held in place by being driven firmly into the surface of the'block.`

G Gr represent the several straight tracks, which are arranged. at right angles to each other,- and H H represent the curved tracks, which communicate between the ends of the transversely-arranged straight tracks.

When playing the game, the guide-bearings or staples D are placed in the grooves A and serve to guide the blocks and prevent the player from moving them otherwise than is prescribed by the rules of the puzzle.v The outer ends of the several tracks or grooves are provided with'stationary blocks E, which serve as stops to prevent the blocks from being moved past the ends of the grooves. The

outer ends of the several grooves are called stations and are numbered from 1 to8 consecutively. The eight blocks B, which represent the cars, are also Anumbered consecutively from 1 to 8 to correspond with the numbers ofthe stations to which they severally belong. By the rules of thegame or puzzle the cars may be moved'in either direction upon the straight tracks G G or curved tracks H H to and from the several stations respectively connected therewith, and they may also be moved from the several curved tracks to and from the several stations communicating directly therewith; but they cannot be moved from a curved track into a straight track, or vice versa, without rst beling moved into one of the several stations.

The stations comprise that part of the grooves outside of the junction of the curved tracks with the straight tracks.

The several stations are of sufficient length to accommodate but a single car only, and consequently it becomesv necessary to remove la car located in any given station therefrom before another car can be moved into such station, as is necessary in all cases in transjferring a car from one track to another, owing vto which fact it has been found'impossible tov 'interchange a car in one station With that of another station with a less number of curved tracks than that shown, including the curved track H between. the stations 2 and 7, as well as all the other curved tracks shown in Fig. 1.

The several cars or blocks being Iirst placedin the several stations of corresponding number, the game or puzzle consists in changing the relative position or location of cars Nos. 1 and 5 to each other and thereafter returning the other cars to theirY several stations without taking any of said several cars from the tracks or grooves, it being understood, of course, that the other cars are necessarily moved from their stations to clear the way for the passage of the cars l and 5 when changing their relative positions.

It will also be understood that many modifications'of the game may be played. For eX- ample, the relative .position of the otherv cars, 2, 3, 4E, 6, '7, and 8, need not necessarily be observed, the' puzzle consisting primarily in changing the relative location of the cars l ICO and 5 to each other or any other cars similarily located upon the board without removing any of the cars from the track and without violating any of the rules governing the movement of the cars on such tracks.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A puzzle, comprising a board, provided with two sets of parallel straight tracks, crossing each other at right angles; single, angular tracks communicating from the outer ends of the tracks of each set of parallel straight tracks with the outer end of the next adjacent transverse track; stations located at the junction of said straight and angular tracks with each other; an additional angular track communicating from the outer end of one of the parallel straight tracks across the other parallel track and the first transverse track, to the second transverse track; and a slidable block for each of the several stations.

2. A puzzle, comprising a board, provided with two sets of parallel straight tracks, crossing each other at right angles; single, angular tracks communicating from the outer ends of the tracks of each set of parallel straight tracks with the outer end of the next adjacent transverse track; stations located at the junction of said straight and angular tracks with each other; an additional angular track communicating from the outer end of one of the parallel straight tracks across the other parallel track and the first transverse track, to the second transverse track; and a slidable block for each ofthe several stations, said slidable block being provided with downwardly-projectingguide-bearings,adapted to engage in the grooves of said tracks, and said tracks being provided at their outer ends with stops for limiting the movement of said blocks thereon, all substantially as' and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I aiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

MARTIN H. ANDERSON. Witnesses:

JAs. B. ERWIN, LEVERETT C. WHEELER. 

